Locating files and text from within Windows 11/10 is not hard at all. Microsoft made sure to improve the search capability a lot, and today, searching is much better when compared to earlier versions. For the first time in years, many of us here at TheWindowsClub has come to enjoy searching from within the operating system. Despite how great the built-in search functionality is, it is still not ideal for advanced users because it lacks a lot of needed features. And that’s fine because Microsoft must always design such tools to make sure they can be used by anyone.
Now, if you are looking for something to improve your search a great deal, we would like to recommend Agent Ransack. It’s which is a free alternative Search tool for Windows. It is free for both personal and commercial use, which is very nice.
Agent Ransack [Lite] Search Tool for Windows PC
What we have here in Agent Ransack is one of the best tools for locating files on your computer, so keep reading on how to make full use of it. Let us talk about this impressive program in more detail.
1] Select the free version
When loading Agent Ransack for the first time, the tool will choose from three options. One is the Professional edition where you are required to sign up and purchase, the second, again, is the Professional edition, but this time you are required to sign in with your paid account.
The third, then, is the free version, and it doesn’t come with all the features, as expected. But that’s fine for regular users, so don’t sweat it.
Agent Ransack [LITE], which is the official name of the free version, comes with a lot of decent features, and that’s good because it means doesn’t have to spend a dime.
2] Perform a search
When you’re ready to search, just type the name of the file into the search box, and hit Enter. To make things even more interesting, the user can add text to the Containing Text section to easier find files or documents.
Below that, it’s the option to select where on the hard drive to search, and that is something we view as standard these days. Furthermore, the user can improve search results by dates, size of file, and subfolders.
If you go to the tab that says Dates, then you will have the ability to do even more when searching for items based on their dates.
3] Get a report on files
After you’ve accomplished a search, you should now see the results with all the options available to you. The user can then check any of their chosen files, and make a report if they so wish. Simply click on the Reports tab over on the right, then choose to either copy, save, or print.
Folks can also change the style of the report, but bear in mind some selections are greyed out and only available in the premium version of Agent Ransack. If you are willing to throw down some cash, then, by all means, do so and get your hands on all the premium features.
4] Configuration
Maybe the default state of Agent Ransack is not your thing and you would prefer to make some changes. OK, we understand, which is why we are going to discuss the options area, or Configuration as it’s called.
This area is found under the Tools section, and it allows the user to perform a few actions. From here, folk can decide if they want the program to save a history of certain actions taken or clear the history after closing.
Additionally, if shell integration is not on your radar, then remove it. Yes, it’s on by default, but only to an extent. The user has options to go deeper here, but also to limit the integration if need be.
Want to configure the extensions? No problem, this is possible, indeed. By default, Agent Ransack can auto-detect UTF-8 files, but thankfully, the option is there to turn it off.
Overall, what we have here is a quality tool, though it’s not fully easy to understand right away due to the user interface. Still, that doesn’t mean its bad, so in that sense, we have to recommend it. You can download Agent Ransack via the official website.